About

As a Puerto Rican or “boricua” long ago transplanted to St. Paul, Minn., I still spend Januaries and Februaries in a “Dear God, what I have done” state — except when I am snowboarding, which is a blast.

I do like it here, despite the cold months and the alarming absence of palm trees and pounding surf. My wife and I live in a fine house, in a great part of the city, with neighbors we have come to adore. When the weather is warm, we sit out on our front porch for hours, wave hi to friends passing by, and feel lucky, indeed.

Professionally, I’m a journalist. Always have been. As a schoolboy, I began writing for “La Flama,” the cute little student newspaper at my Colegio Espíritu Santo parochial school in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico, and I’ve never stopped being a “journo.”

Today, I wear a variety of journalism hats.

My day job at the St. Paul Pioneer Press newspaper is a tasty gumbo of reporting and writing (often about tech) along with website minding, digital production and social-media management. I’m on the newsroom’s “online team” and I’m never, ever bored.

In my spare time, I’m a “contributing editor” (as in regular contributor with a masthead mention) at TidBITS, the venerable Apple-enthusiast site. It’s a dream job — and, yes, I treat it like a job, not a freelancing side hustle.

As an author, I have several books about consumer technology, business tech and mobile productivity under my belt.

As of April 2017, I’m embarking on a tech-book project for Take Control Books, an imprint created by the TidBITS folks and now run by Joe Kissell. (More to come on this).

I make occasional appearances on local and national television-news broadcasts, radio shows and tech podcasts. I speak with some regularity about journalism, technology and social media (and how the three intersect).

I’m a nerd (in the sci-fi-fan and tech-enthusiast senses of the word). I love to merengue, make sushi and brew that perfect cup of café — Watch me rave about my favorite coffee maker (warning: f-bombs):